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Proceedings of the 2013 Federated Conference on

Computer Science and Information Systems pp. 865869

Parking Reservation application dedicated for car users based on


telecommunications APIs
Piotr Trusiewicz

Jarosaw Legierski

Warsaw University of Technology Faculty of


Mathematics and Information Science
ul. Koszykowa 75
00-665 Warsaw, Poland
Email: trusiewicz.piotr@gmail.com

Orange Labs
ul. Obrzena 7,
02-691 Warsaw, Poland
Email: jaroslaw.legierski@orange.com

AbstractThe main objective of this paper is


proposition simple, easy to implementation and low
cost solution dedicated for parking lots reservation.
The presented application uses Unstructured
Supplementary Service Data (USSD) as an
communication channel between driver and parking
system. USSD communication proposed in this paper
is more efficient and comfortable for the end user in
comparison with SMS used in many existing parking
solutions. System is integrated with communication
service provider infrastructure using Service Delivery
Platform exposed APIs for telecommunication
network in Internet. Application can be launched on
every phone and does not require Internet access on
mobile phone side.
. INTRODUCTION

HE parking place is costly and sometimes very limited resource in the cities. Every day thousands of
car drivers spend a lot of the time to find an empty parking space. The result of this situation is the air pollution
in urban areas, increasing traffic congestion and frustration of drivers. In large cities the traffic generated by
drivers searching free parking places can achieve about
40 % of total traffic [1]. In order to solve this problem,
the implementation of dedicated reservation based parking system in cities for managing parking places is
mandatory.
A. Existing solutions

In last years many researchers proposed architecture of


advanced parking systems supporting citizen in free parking spaces allocation. In this chapter are described some
of them.
The first solution is Smart Parking Reservation System
proposed by researches from University Teknologi
PETRONAS in Malaysia [2]. Using this system car
driver can reserve parking lot using Short Message Services (SMS). SMS messages are read and interpreted by
GSM modem installed in micro-RTU (Remote Terminal
Unit). Micro-RTU also sends to the car driver informa-

c 2013, IEEE
978-1-4673-4471-5/$25.00

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tion about reserved lot number and password which is


dedicated for opening barrier gate.
Another solution Automated Parking Slot Allocation
System [3] proposes using RFID technology for allocation free parking slot. In this system the driver is informed about free parking place using SMS communication channel. The driver can use this channel to reserve
his parking slot as well.
Another solution SmartParking described in [4] is dedicated for NOTICE. It is a secure and privacy-aware architecture for the notification of traffic incidents. In this system car driver uses dedicated mobile application for
PDAs, smartphones, vehicle display and laptops which
can read the information from SmartParking based on Internet access (data) to the system.
Smart Parking System developed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln [5] uses Internet (by Wi-Fi or GSM) for
communication with end user using Web Application.
Another solution, Wireless Mobile-based Shopping
Mall Car Parking System (WMCPS) [6] uses SMS for interaction with the driver. End user of the system can request for reservation car parking spaces using their mobile phone. WMCPS have got implemented GSM modem
for integration with mobile network.
B. Description of the problem

Presented above parking systems uses dedicated


hardware (modems) for communication with end users.
This solution generates additional costs (hardware) and
can be not effective in large scale usage (due to
performance issues of GSM/UMTS modems). Proposed
and implemented SMS communication results need to
send an SMS with the specific content and potential
mistakes in SMS content results errors in application
usage. Another solution for car drivers dedicated or web
application for mobile devices uses data connection and
generates costs for user. This paper proposes usage of
another communication channel available in mobile
network - Unstructured Supplementary Service Data and
provides an alternative to existing solutions.


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C. Telecommunication APIs and Service Delivery


Platforms

In last few years we can observe the process of opening


communication service provider networks for external
developers. For many years the network operators were
closed to external companies and programmers and only
operator
was
able
to
develop
innovative
telecommunication services.
Telecom operators seeing changes in Internet and
competing with Internet companies (Over The Top OTT
players) such as Google, Facebook or Skype, were
implementing business models based on API
(Application Programming Interfaces) exposure.
Using API telecommunication service providers can
expose large sets of functionalities in Internet for external
developers. Telecommunication functions such as call
management, SMS and MMS communication, USSD,
payment or locating terminals can be offered third parties
as Web Services. Based of them is possible to create new
innovative applications connected Internet assets,
telecommunication area and IT functionalities such as
[7], [8], [9]. From technical point of view presented
above enablers are exposed in Internet using dedicated
system- Service Delivery Platform (SDP). SDP is
additional layer between Internet and communication
network. South interfaces of SDP are connected with
network elements such as SMS Center, MMS Center or
GMLC (Gateway Mobile Location Centre) using binary
telecommunication protocols based on Signaling No 7
stack (SS7). North interfaces are connected to the Internet
and expose APIs using SOA model or RESTful
architectural style. The architecture of the API exposition
using SDP is presented in Fig. 1.

Service Oriented Architecture [11] and SOAP protocol


[12]. Second standard OneAPI [13] was defined by
GSMA and the newest version of this specification is
based on Representational State Transfer architectural
style (RESTful) [14] de facto standard in Web 2.0 and
Social Media world.
. THE PARKING RESERVATION SYSTEM

The Parking Reservation System is an application


prototype based on API for operators network. Presented
in this paper system is dedicated for supporting and
managing parking places reservation process. The system
allows to make reservation or if reservation has been
made to cancel it. Application recognizes two types of
end users. One is the end mobile user - making the
request, the other one is parking security - handling the
request using Web based user interface. The mobile users
can store in their mobile phone address book two records.
The first record is responsible for parking reservation and
contains *665*0015*0# USSD request, the second
address book position cancel reservation and is coded as
*665*0015*1#. To make or cancel reservation the end
user must call stored in book number (USSD code) and
therefore send specific USSD request.

Fig 1. API exposition architecture [7]

Web services were implemented in SDP were


standardized using two models: Parlay X specification
[10] defined by ETSI and the Parlay Group - based on

Fig 2. Parking system mobile end user interface

PIOTR TRUSIEWICZ, JAROSAW LEGIERSKI: PARKING RESERVATIONAPPLICATION DEDICATED FOR CAR USERS

In current version system recognizes only these two


described above USSD messages. The request from
mobile user in web application is presented to the person
responsible for parking place reservation. To handle the
request the parking security user selects in web
application free parking lot and sends mobile user
response using one of the method: USSD or SMS. In a
similar way (using another USSD code) is realized
parking place reservation cancelation. In case of no free
parking places the parking security user can send to the
mobile user dedicated message predefined in application
(Fig. 3).

send using two methods: USSD or SMS message. Both


functionalities are realized by Orange Service Delivery
Platform \using Web Services implemented in RESTful
architectural style as Receive USSD, Send SMS and Send
USSD APIs.
C.Structural architecture of Parking System

The Parking System service consists of three main


functional parts based on the performed functions shown
in Fig. 5.

Fig 5. Structure of the developed service

Fig 3. Parking system - example messages

III. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE


A. Functionality of the solution

Using their mobile phone mobile end users sends USSD


request to the system. The parking system notifies
parking security end user in web application using AJAX
request. In the next step the parking security end user
using web application (Fig 4.) sends response to the
system and application forward it to the mobile phone
end user through appropriate SDPs Web Service. The
functionality of the system is shown in Fig.4 and Fig 5.

Fig 4. Functionality of the Parking System

B. Used API interfaces

The Parking System functionality is based on API


provided by the cellular phone networks. The system is
invoked with the USSD request. The response can be

End Users there are two types of end users: one


communicates with the parking system using mobile
phone through UTRAN/GERAN (mobile end user)
and the second (parking security end user), which using Web Application maintains parking resources.
Parking System the application logic implemented
as a Web Application, running on a server. System
data is stored in XML files. Data consists of USSD requests, system end users and parking resources data.
The system is using telecommunication APIs exposed
by Orange for communication between end users.
GSM/UMTS Operator enables communication with
the Parking System through exposed APIs interfaces.
D. Class Diagrams
Presented solution was developed in Model-View Controller (MVC) style. It consists of Controller, Model and
Helper classes. All classes are presented in Fig. 6 and Fig
7. Views are simple dynamically generated HTML. The
project consists of following classes:
Controller classes responsible for handling HTTP requests. GET and POST requests are mapped to appropriate method called action from the class. Diagram is
presented in Fig. 6.
Model classes represents the data objects send
within system. Each class consists of properties and
the setter/getter methods for each.
Helper classes are responsible for parsing XML
data, handling AJAX, sending response to mobile
phone end user and are presented in Fig. 7.

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IV. USER INTERFACE

The Parking system was developed using C# programming language and ASP.NET MVC 3 framework. The
system has a simple, intuitive web interface. The user
(parking security end user) logged in to the system, on the
main page can see the map of the parking, three tabs on
the right (home, make reservation, cancel reservation) and
request notification messages on the bottom. On the map
reserved parking places are marked with a car pictures.
Home page of application is presented in Fig. 8.

Fig. 6. Controller class diagram

Fig. 8. Parking system - home page

Application supports two types of notification messages.


One for making reservation and second for canceling.
Both types of notification are presented in Fig. 9.

Fig. 9 Notification messages

To make or cancel reservation the parking security end


user has to select the appropriate tab and fill up the form
and select communication type (USSD or SMS). The
forms are shown in Fig. 10 and Fig. 11.

Fig. 7 Helper class diagram

Fig 10. Reservation form

PIOTR TRUSIEWICZ, JAROSAW LEGIERSKI: PARKING RESERVATIONAPPLICATION DEDICATED FOR CAR USERS

Fig. 11 Cancellation form

After performing the operations the person responsible


for parking place management is redirected to the home
page with parking map.
AJAX, JSON, JavaScript. technologies were used to
create the user interface, Microsoft Internet Information
Server was used as an application container.

hosted in cloud computing environment and offered potential (companies, security agencies) as a service. Because no specific hardware requirements system can be
used by everyone and need only mobile phone (smartphone are not necessary) for mobile end user and computer with Internet access for security end user. The implementation telecommunication APIs: Receive USSD,
Send SMS and Send USSD in Web Services allowed creating application using standard programming tools in
very short time. Using this system car driver can reserve a
parking slot on the fly in very easy way by pressing call
button on their mobile phone.
Prototype of Parking reservation System was developed under the program Open Middleware 2.0 Community by Orange Labs [15].
REFERENCES

V. CHALLENGES

The presented in this paper application has some possible future enhancements. It is possible to add new communication channel via SMS for parking place reservation. In the further development of the system it is also
possible to create a mobile application dedicated for
smartphones. One of the future challenges will be function of navigation to the reserved parking place. This
functionality requires a precise localization API (e.g.
based on GPS or Wi-Fi) or usage of specific and expansive hardware (e.g. sensors) [3], [4], [5] and implementation of algorithms for parking management strategies [5],
[6]. Another enhancement concerns on the functionality
of the Parking System. The current system version supports only two mobile end user actions: make reservation
and cancel them. There are few more options available
such as: check reservation status, change status, extend
reservation time, make reservation for some time in future, etc. Potentially interesting idea is automation of system functionality: allowing end user to triggers the application with a USSD or SMS channel without interaction
with parking guardian. Based on this the system could
automatically reserve the place, recognize the car or end
user mobile phone and navigate the user to the reserved
place. Parking navigation system would be very helpful,
when the mobile end user wants to find the car on the
parking.
VI. CONCLUSION

Presented in this paper the prototype of the Parking


Reservation System is low cost and effective solution.
Because system is based on web application can be

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